


How To Get Someone To Propose

by Tabbyluna



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: F/M, Marriage Proposal, Out-Gambit, Playing Cupid, Sort Of, Trope Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:02:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24264793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabbyluna/pseuds/Tabbyluna
Summary: He had his suspicions that they didn't think he could really take control of his love life. Well,now he needs to prove them wrong.
Relationships: Kinomoto Sakura/Li Syaoran
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32
Collections: /r/FanFiction Prompt Challenge #18 / May 2020





	How To Get Someone To Propose

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a trope challenge on Reddit.

He was beginning to suspect that something was up.

In the past, he had some suspicions. Little things he noticed from his cousin and his girlfriend’s best friend. But for the most part, he never thought too much about it. Most of their dates had been funded by Daidouji, true. And Meiling did always call him the night before and the night after to talk. But, there he was. Head on his pillow, trying to go to bed, and he realised that he and Sakura planned very few of their own dates in the grand scheme of things.

And his eyes snapped open then, because that was honestly a very embarrassing realisation to have.

He talked about it with Meiling the next day, or at least he tried to. Setting up the call had been inconvenient already. They experienced technical difficulties, and it took about fifteen minutes of muddling with the wifi and the application to get the video call to go through. So by the time he got to her, he was already slightly irritated. But then when he tried to talk to her about how he knew what she and Daidouji were always up to, she constantly tried to avoid engaging with what he was saying. She switched the topics twice, and had vague answers to his questions three times. 

And before they could have any truly meaningful conversation about how he felt about them running his love life, she got a phone call. She said it was for work, so she needed to leave. But before she left, she told him, “Honestly, go on and tell Sakura what’s in your heart if you really want to take control of your love life.” Which was probably some of the most basic advice he had ever heard. 

“I know that.”

“I know, but sometimes you need a reminder. Prevents people from becoming completely hopeless in love, you know?” Then she left him alone in his room, without being able to retort to that statement.

Darn it! He went to bed irritated that night. Who did they think they were? He knew that he and Sakura were a little awkward when it came to matters of dating, but they weren’t completely hopeless! He was positive that they would have planned their own dates and arranged their own meeting even without their help. 

At least, that would have happened eventually. But whatever. They didn’t need his cousin and her best friend behind the scenes. As if they were their puppets, their little experiments to toy with. Their little dolls that the two of them could make kiss each other. 

Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh. But still. It was his love life, and he could manage it perfectly fine himself.

He lay in bed still upset at Meiling’s behaviour. The little smirks and giggles she gave him while he interrogated and tried to confront her. 

She really thought that he was that hopeless in regards to love, didn’t she?

The thought made blood rush to his face. He wasn’t… completely hopeless. Sure, both he and Sakura might have needed a… push to begin admitting their feelings towards each other. And sure, sometimes they did act awkward about meeting one another, especially during the early days. But, come on. They were kids then! What kid wouldn’t feel a little awkward around their crushes?

They would have done well by themselves even if they didn’t intervene. He was sure of it. They didn’t need Tomoyo providing tickets to plays and invitations to fancy restaurants. And he didn’t need his cousin checking in on him before dates to give him advice, and after dates to ask him how things went. Without them, the two of them could have planned their own things. Eventually, they would have stopped feeling awkward around each other. They didn’t need their help.

And that was his last thought before he pulled his blanket over his head and drifted off to sleep.

*****

He had another date with Sakura the next day. Dinner sponsored by Tomoyo, because she told Sakura that she was friends with the owner and she wanted to visit her, but she was unfortunately busy. “She asked us to pay her a visit for her sake, and then report back to her how she was doing,” Sakura said. “She already booked a table for us.”

And it was a fun night out. Dinner was great, and the owner was lovely and sweet as can be. When she heard that they were friends of Tomoyo’s, she offered them a free dessert. So he and Sakura got to share a chocolate lava cake with each other.

In his opinion, it wasn’t as good as the desserts Sakura made, but it was still pretty good.

He called a taxi, and when they reached her house they kissed each other goodbye. Then when he saw Sakura walking in, already chatting with Tomoyo on the phone to tell her how the evening went (and of course, to give her an update on her friend), he decided that it was about time he gave a phone call himself.

Thumbs moving across the screen, he searched through his contacts until he found ‘Meiling’. As the phone dialed, he exhaled. Please pick it up…

“So, how did it go?” Came a voice through the phone. It sounded sincere, but Syaoran knew his cousin well enough, and he could detect the amusement in her voice.

He smirked. “Went alright. We shared a cake, and it was good. Though it wasn’t as good as the desserts she usually makes. Talked about a lot of current life stuff too.”

“Mmhm, I see…” 

“Did you know her brother’s turning thirty-two in about a week?” He asked. Well, technically it would be his right birthday. Leap years and all.

She hummed. “No, I didn’t. Is she planning anything?”

“I think she’s planning on baking him a cake. She wants to throw him a party too.”

A giggle. “Yes, that does sound like Sakura.” And then a sigh. “She’s a nice girl. You’re a lucky man Syaoran.”

Syaoran couldn’t help but smile. There was a sincerity in Meiling’s voice when she said that, which was rather nice to hear. Plus, what she said was true. There wasn’t a day that went by where he wasn’t grateful to have Sakura in his life. “I know.”

“I do hope you treasure her, though. It’s a lot of work simply seeing you two try to get together,” she said, her earlier sincerity now back to playful teasing. “I swear, it’s some miracle that you two aren’t still mutually pining over each other. Never would have thought you guys could have ever gotten together as a couple without help, honestly. Thank the heavens you guys actually communicate now.”

Syaoran raised his brows. “Hey, this… this was what I wanted to talk about yesterday. Meiling, I know about what you and Tomoyo have been doing for the two of us, and…” A click. “Meiling, are you still there?”

No response. Either their connection got cut off, or she hung up on him. And Syaoran has to admit, he highly suspected that it was the latter case.

So she still believed that he was completely hopeless in regards to love, huh?

Well, he supposed that he would just have to prove her wrong.

As he sat in the cab, he thought. Hand on his face, looking out the window. Somehow, he needed to show them both, Daidouji and his cousin, that he was capable of taking initiative in his love life. But what could he do? Both of them had planned dates in the past. Tiny dates, little outings and excursions to the park, sleeping over at each other’s house and watching movies together. They weren’t extravagant dates, but they could manage dates. All of them knew that they could plan dates. 

What he needed was to do something bigger than a date. 

He paid the taxi driver, wished him goodnight, and headed up to his house. All the while, still thinking about what he could do. And in the morning, after sleeping on it, considering everything, he got up and knew exactly what he wanted to do.

*****

They both had a busy week. Work, and on Sakura’s end Toya’s birthday needed planning. But Syaoran eventually found the time to visit her. He called ahead, and they agreed to meet up at her place on Friday after he was done with work. 

She had moved out of the house into an apartment after she graduated university, just as Toya did. Sakura’s father had asked if she wanted to sty with him a little while longer, but she told him that she wanted to try and be independent. “I’ve grown up now, and I think I should try to learn how to live on my own.” She told him.

It had taken a bit of adjustment, but Syaoran was quite proud of how she managed it all. In the past, she used to have to call him almost every day. Mainly because she felt homesick and Kero wasn’t around to comfort her. Then it became once a week, then once a month, and now she was at a stage where she was mostly independent. 

Still, Syaoran liked to visit her, and she loved it when he visited. He suspected that even though she had Kero with her and was now a fairly independent woman, she still missed having a house full of people who she could be with. Sakura wasn’t a loner by any means, she needed her people. And Syaoran needed her, so it all worked out.

While he waited for the lift, he looked in his bag to check if everything was there. And once he did, he sighed, and smiled. Fingers crossed that everything went well that day. He had spent all week thinking about this time they could spend together, and he foresaw nothing which could mess up his plans with her. If all went well, this could potentially change their lives forever.

Definitely not something Meiling thought he could ever do with his love life. At least based on what he could glean from their conversations.

He smiled as he entered the lift. Though it was partially a smirk at the thought of proving Meiling wrong, most of it was genuine excitement. As he watched the numbers counting up, his excitement merely grew. Tapping his foot, he rehearsed the lines he had planned out in his head. The rough script he had planned out and practiced by himself, so that all went as smoothly as possible. And by the time the lift brought him up to the right floor, he knew in his heart that whatever may come from this evening, he was ready.

He hoped that Sakura loved it too.

He walked up to her house, a unit with a familiar dark brown door and metal gate. Taking a deep breath, he straightened his posture, cleared his head, and pressed the doorbell. Ding dong! And then came the sound on the other side. Two voices - Kero and Sakura’s - talking, saying something about keys. Until eventually a jingle came from the other side, and the door swung open. 

Sakura smiled when she saw him. “Good evening Syaoran!” She greeted, and she slotted a key into the gate to open it up. 

He walked through the door, and planted a kiss on her cheek. That day, the apartment had the heavy smell of chocolate and cream hanging around it. As if she had just been baking. “Good evening Sakura. How was your day?”

“Oh, it's been busy. And then when I came home I found out that Kero ate half the cake intended for Toya tomorrow! I had to rush to the supermarket to get the ingredients to bake a new one. I haven’t even had dinner yet!” She said, while ushering him into the living room and onto the sofa. “Anyways, have you eaten yet? Shall I prepare dinner for the two of us?”

“No, it’s alright. I had a little something to eat before coming here,” he said, getting up from the sofa. “Tell you what? Why don’t I help to make you dinner, while you relax?”

Sakura smiled at him, with tired but grateful eyes. “That would be great Syaoran. Thank you.”

He helped her into the sofa, and adjusted the throw pillows to ensure her comfort. “Right then. So what would you like to have for dinner?”

She had planned to have a simple meal of tofu, vegetables, and rice for dinner that day, and so Syaoran got to work. Washing the vegetables, boiling the beancurd, putting the rice into the rice cooker. As evidence of Kero’s earlier work, a half-eaten cake was stored into Tupperware in the refrigerator, and a chocolate cake occupied the oven. Syaoran tried to cook as quickly as possible, but he had to admit, it was tempting not to just stand there and take in the heavenly smell of Sakura’s baking.

Toya was very lucky to have a sister like her.

“There you go,” he said, bringing out the food for her. 

She thanked him. “Thank you. But, Syaoran, is it alright if you give me an additional bowl?” 

He went back into the kitchen, and got her one. And once he did, she placed a little bit of her meal into it. “It’s for Kero later, if he feels hungry. It’s not as much as he usually eats, but I don’t think he should eat that much. He should still be pretty full after he ate half of Toya’s cake, huh?”

He smiled. Her kindness, despite the things other people did. He loved that so much about her.

She ate, hungrily and quickly. “This is delicious!” She complimented. “Thank you for cooking dinner!”

“It’s no problem. I know you’ve been working hard all week,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into a cuddle. She earned a break, after all the work and planning she had to do this week.

“Yeah, and now I have to decorate a cake after dinner,” she said in between bites. “Kero got a stomach ache because of this. Serves him right.”

He chuckled. “And yet you still leave out some food for him.” Sakura took a bite of her vegetables, and smiled at him. He smiled back, and figured that that was a good enough transition into what he wanted to say. So Syaoran cleared his throat, and took in a deep breath.

He exhaled. “Sakura, you’re a kind hearted woman. You’re honestly one of the kindest, most selfless women I have ever met. Everyday, since you have entered my life, I feel like I have been made a better man because of your kindness.”

Sakura’s eyes grew wider, and she stared at him. Her mouth was still full of vegetables, her cheeks puffed up and full of food. How cute.

“We have known each other for years. And over the years, I can only say that my love for you has grown stronger and stronger. And… honestly, I’d been thinking about it for a while…” that was true. Even before the past week, he had been considering and mulling over it. And it took that extra push, that conversation from Meiling, to finally convince him to go for it. 

He took in a deep breath, and knelt down before her. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a tiny box, and he opened it, presenting a ring inside it to her. He had chosen that ring carefully. Making sure that the design was simple, but beautiful. Just like the girl he loved. In the end, he settled for a rose quartz carved into the shape of a flower, held together by a simple silver band. It wasn’t extravagant or extremely expensive, but it was still pretty and sweet. “Sakura,” he began. “Will you marry me?”

Her eyes looked at him, shining and as big as saucers. And for a moment, Syaoran couldn’t quite read her expression. It looked like surprise, but it could just as easily be shock, or disbelief. But fortunately after a second, she smiled, beamed at him, and spoke up. “Of course!” She cheered. “Yes, yes I will Syaoran!” He slid the ring up her finger, and Sakura leaned down to kiss his cheek. 

“Of course I will!”

The egg timer in the kitchen rang, reminding the couple, now fiancés, of the cake. So they went off to decorate it. With their hearts a little bit lighter and the spring in their step a little more pronounced.

*****

He spent the evening decorating Toya’s birthday cake with Sakura. All while throwing ideas around for their wedding. Sakura suggested going to England for their honeymoon, Syaoran suggested having a wedding by the beach. They both decided that they should allow Tomoyo to help assist in planning the wedding. Syaoran decided that he already proved himself today, and Daidouji was far more organised than the two of them. He could probably let her take over this one.

Once the cake was decorated, Syaoran decided that it was probably time he headed back. So the two of them kissed each other goodnight, and Syaoran headed off back home. And once she closed the door, and he made his way out of the lift, he whipped out his phone and dialed for Meiling.

“Hello?” Went her voice on the other end. “Syaoran, what is it?”

“Hey, Meiling. Remember when you basically implied that I couldn’t have gotten into a relationship with Sakura without help?” He asked, a hand in his pocket.

“Syaoran, what’s this about-”

“Well, I have some news for you today. Meiling, I’d been considering it for a long time, but today I have proof that I can take control of my love life.” He smirked. “I just proposed to Sakura today.”

There was a moment of silence. Which made Syaoran feel very satisfied. “You what?”

“That’s right. I proposed to her. Without any intervention or anything from you or Daidouji.” He had to admit, he did feel quite proud of himself. When he was in his apartment, he was a little nervous, but Sakura’s presence was enough to overshadow that. 

“Well, congratulations Syaoran! Keep me updated on when the wedding would happen alright? I want to fly over to see you guys.” He could have sworn he heard faint clapping from her end, but the sound was soft. “Anyways, I need to go now. I’ve got an early morning meeting tomorrow, and I need to hit the hay early. Goodnight”

“Right then. Good luck for tomorrow then,” he said. Then she hung up, and Syaoran called for a taxi. Happy that his girlfriend was now his fiancée and at what he had managed to do that day. In all honesty, he wondered why it had taken him so long to do this. But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he managed to finally do it, and for that, he was happy.

*****

“He finally did it,” said Meiling, pouring herself a glass of wine. She had been saving it for a special occasion, and she figured her cousin finally popping the question qualified. 

“Finally,” chimed Tomoyo, as she poured herself a drink. “I was getting antsy about the state of their relationship.” 

“You antsy, Daidouji? I honestly have a hard time believing that.” Tomoyo giggled, hand over her mouth like a proper lady. 

“I wonder though,” said Tomoyo, tracing a finger around the rim of her glass. “How did you know that that was what it would take Syaoran to finally propose?”

Meiling chuckled. “Well, he’s my cousin. What sort of cousin would I be if I didn’t know what would motivate him?” Pestering always worked on Syaoran, even when he didn’t really realise he was being pestered.

They had been getting rather impatient at the pace of their relationship. Ever since they were kids, they knew the two of them had always needed that little push. To confess their feelings, to begin going out. But a lot of things beyond that were beyond their control. Whatever came out of their relationship needed to grow naturally. Fortunately, both their intuitions were correct, and Sakura and Syaoran had stayed together through the years in such a manner that their relationship to each other could only be described as ‘soulmates’. But sometimes even soulmates needed a bit of assistance. Though help in those cases needed to be as subtle as possible.

“He was really proud of himself too. Genuinely thought that he proved something to us.” She had faith that he would eventually do it. They simply had a greater plan to assist him. Meiling had no doubt that Syaoran would eventually catch on, and a part of her was pleased and relieved that the plan went fairly well. Honestly, she was proud of him and happy for the two of them. “You think you’re ready to help plan a wedding?” 

“I’ve been planning Sakura’s wedding since I was ten. I think I can manage it.” She winked, and raised her glass. “To the happy couple. May they live a long, happy life together.”

And so the two matchmakers drank to the health and happiness of Meiling’s cousin and Tomoyo’s best friend. In hopes that the two of them would gradually get less useless in love.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm worried that this might be OOC, but I tried. It was an attempt at least.


End file.
